Saturday, October 20, 2018

SynopsisLove and Adventure Are Discovered on the Wilderness Road
In 1794, when Kate Gruener’s father is ready to move the family farther
west into the wilderness to farm untouched land, Kate is eager to live
out her own story of adventure like he did during the War for
Independence and to see untamed lands. And she sets her sights on
learning more about their scout, Thomas Bledsoe. Thomas’s job is to get
settlers safely across the Kentucky Wilderness Road to their destination
while keeping an ear open for news of Shawnee unrest. But naïve Kate’s
inquisitive nature could put them both in the middle of a rising tide of
conflict. Is there more to Thomas’s story than he is willing to tell?
Is there an untapped courage in Kate that can thwart a coming disaster?

My Review

I loved the expansive wilderness setting in this book and the various feelings it gave throughout the story- anticipation and adventure, trepidation and danger. I could relate to Kate as she shows her inexperience in the elements, but also her strength, determination, and grit. Like Thomas, I couldn't help but admire her lack of complaints and selfless attitude. Even though it takes a while for Thomas to warm up to her enough to spark a friendship, she doesn't go unnoticed. I enjoyed learning about his past as a former captive of the Indians and the unique perspective and skills it gave him. The journey begins with a slow but steady pace, but definitely picks up with action and conflict that draws Kate and Thomas closer together. I finished the book with a satisfied feeling, and I think it's a story that would be enjoyed by fans of Laura Frantz and Lori Benton. Highly recommend!

(I received a complimentary copy of the book; all opinions in this review are my own)

Travel into Colonial America where eight women seek love, but they each know a future husband requires the necessary skills to survive in the backcountry. Living in areas exposed to nature’s ferocity, prone to Indian attack, and cut off from regular supplies, can hearts overcome the dangers to find lasting love?

GUEST POST Welcome Carrie Fancett Pagels, one of the contributing authors of The Backcountry Brides Collection!

The Backcountry of Colonial America – A Dangerous Place!

Thanks for having me visit with you, Heidi! I’d like to
share with your readers, especially those unfamiliar with frontier colonial
times, a little bit of the problems of living in the wilderness at that time.
I’d like to direct readers to www.colonialquills.org
our group blog, which shares all kinds of information about colonial times.
Most folks at that time lived on the coast. There was a reason for that. Some
population was due to ease of travel by water. But another reason was that
one’s “enemies” lived further west.

In my story, “Shenandoah Hearts”, in the mid-1750s, my hero
Jacob Owens lives a life of ease and relative safety in Philadelphia. A shoppe
owner, he’s quite comfortable there! But his adventurous grandparents had lived
in the backcountry in the early 18th Century, making them some of
the first settlers in a sparsely populated area. Sparsely populated for a
reason. If you watched any of those television shows in the 1960s and 1970s and
thereabouts, you probably saw “Indian attacks” as being a big theme. Realize
that the Native Americans, who’d populated coastal America, had already been
pushed back. Where? To the frontier, including western Virginia.

When I began researching another book, Saving the Marquise’s Granddaughter a novel from Pelican (2016), I
dug into the Rare Books stacks at the University of Virginia, in
Charlottesville, which sits at the edge of the Blue Ridge Mountains. I read the
accounts of the settlers to the Shenandoah Valley, where my ancestor Johan Adam
Roush and his wife Susannah Sehler Roush settled. Some of the tales were so
tragic I could barely force myself to read them. But I began to see that these
people were stalwart and must have had something that motivated them so
strongly that they’d stay in such a dangerous place. Multiple individual
accounts told of abductions, burning of cabins, scalpings, and various Indian
attacks. Granted, a number of these attacks may have been by “rebels” who
didn’t have the sanctioning of the tribe. Still, there were so many heartbreaking
stories, across the region, from various times, that this posed a significant
threat.

Living here in coastal Virginia, I have access to many
colonial era historical museums such as Colonial Williamsburg and the American
Revolution Museum at Yorktown. We know that the British required people to
worship via the Church of England (Anglican) YET the settlers on the frontier
were primarily Palatinaters (from the Palatinate of Germany) who were
Lutherans. Why allow all those Germans to settle and not follow the rules of
the coast? Easy. They were a human shield between the French to the west and
Native Americans inland, and those who lived in coastal colonial Virginia.

Question: Would you want to move somewhere
dangerous? What might make you overcome your reservations?

ABOUT THE NOVELLAS

Shenandoah Hearts by Carrie Fancett Pagels
1754 - Great Wagon Road, into the Shenandoah Valley (Virginia)
As the French-Indian War commences, Magda Sehler wonders if Jacob Owens lost his mind to have abandoned his Philadelphia business and moved to the Shenandoah Valley. Or has he lost his heart?

Heart of Nantahala by Jennifer Hudson Taylor
1757 - (North Carolina)
Joseph Gregory plans to buy a lumber mill, but Mabel Walker becomes a formidable opponent. When she’s forced to make a painful decision, she must choose between survival and love.Her Redcoat by Pegg Thomas
1763 - Fort Michilimackinac (Michigan) during Pontiac’s Rebellion
Laurette Pettigrew grew up in the northern frontier. Henry Bedlow arrived against his will. Their chance meeting changes everything. Will a deadly clash of cultures keep them from finding happiness?

A Worthy Groom by Angela K. Couch
1771 - Sapling Grove settlement on the Holston River (Tennessee)
The Cowden temper has been Marcus’s lifelong bane. A trait Lorinda Cowden curses. Now, winning the heart of his bride hinges on fighting a war without raising a fist.

Across Three Autumns by Denise Weimer
1778-1780 – (Georgia)
Fighting Loyalists and Indians, Jenny White settles for strength over love . . .until Scottish scout Caylan McIntosh leads her family on a harrowing exodus out of Georgia’s Revolutionary “Hornet’s Nest.”

The Counterfeit Tory by Shannon McNear
1781 – (South Carolina)
Tasked with infiltrating an infamous Tory gang, Jed Wheeler has no wish to endanger the leader’s cousin, Lizzy Cunningham. He risks not only his life. . .but his heart.

Love’s Undoing by Gabrielle Meyer
1792 - Fur Post on the Upper Mississippi River (Minnesota)
When Englishman Henry Kingsley meets Abi McCrea, the daughter of a Scottish fur trader and Indian mother, will their worlds keep them apart, or have they finally found somewhere they truly belong?

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Carrie Fancett Pagels is an ECPA bestselling and award-winning author of Christian historical romance. Twenty-five years as a psychologist didn’t “cure” her overactive imagination! She resides with her family in the Historic Triangle of Virginia, which is perfect for her love of history. Carrie loves to read, bake, bead, and travel – but not all at the same time!

Jennifer Hudson Taylor is an award winning author of inspirational fiction set in historical Europe & the Carolinas. She provides keynotes and presentations on the publishing industry, the craft of writing, building an author platform & digital marketing.
Jennifer graduated from Elon University with a B.A. in Communications/Journalism. When she isn't writing, Jennifer enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, visiting historical sites, horseback riding, cycling, long walks, genealogy and reading.

Pegg Thomas lives on a hobby farm in Northern Michigan with Michael, her husband of *mumble* years. A life-long history geek, she writes “History with a Touch of Humor.” An avid reader and writer, she enjoys fiction stories threaded through historical events and around historical figures. Civil War and Colonial are her favorite eras.
Pegg is a regular blogger at both QuidProQuills.com and ColonialQuills.com. When not working on her latest novel, Pegg can be found in her garden, in her kitchen, at her spinning wheel, tending her sheep, or on her trusty old horse, Trooper. See more at PeggThomas.com.
TO CONNECT WITH PEGG: website | facebook | twitter

Debra E. Marvin tries not to run too far from real life but the imagination born out of being an only child has a powerful draw. Besides, the voices in her head tend to agree with all the sensible things she says. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Sisters in Crime, and serves on the board of Bridges Ministry in Seneca Falls, NY. She is published with WhiteFire Publishing, Forget Me Not Romances, Journey Fiction, and Barbour Publishing…and a judge for the Grace Awards for many years.
Debra works as a program assistant at Cornell University, and enjoys her family and grandchildren, obsessively buying fabric, watching British programming and traveling with her childhood friends

To keep from freezing in the Great White North, Angela K Couch cuddles under quilts with her laptop. Winning short story contests, being a semi-finalist in ACFW’s Genesis Contest, and a finalist in the International Digital Awards also helped warm her up. As a passionate believer in Christ, her faith permeates the stories she tells. Her martial arts training, experience with horses, and appreciation for good romance sneak in there, as well. When not writing, she stays fit (and warm) by chasing after three munchkins.

Denise Weimer holds a journalism degree with a minor in history from Asbury University. She writes time slip romantic suspense, as well as both contemporary and historical romance. A wife and swim mom of two daughters, Denise always pauses for coffee, chocolate, old houses, and to write any story God lays on her heart.

After more than two decades in the South, Shannon McNear now makes her home on the windy northern plains with her husband, four of their eight children, two German Shepherds, four cats, several chickens, and a noisy flock of guinea fowl. She serves in worship and youth ministry, and has been writing novel-length fiction since age 15. Her first novella, Defending Truth, from A Pioneer Christmas Collection, was a 2014 RITA® nominee.
When not sewing, researching, or leaking story from her fingertips, she enjoys being outdoors, basking in the beauty of the Dakota prairies

Gabrielle Meyer lives in central Minnesota on the banks of the Mississippi River with her husband and four children. As an employee of the Minnesota Historical Society, she fell in love with the rich history of her state and enjoys writing fictional stories inspired by real people, places, and events. She loves connecting with readers!

(1) Winner will win a prize pack consisting of one print copy of The Backcountry Brides Collection, a pair of handmade earrings from Carrie Fancett Pagels and book swag plus CHOICE of (1) copy of any book by Carrie Fancett Pagels OR a $25 Amazon (or Barnes & Noble) gift card. (US only, however the gift card is also open to international winners except where prohibited by law. Giveaway is subject to policies found here.

To Enter, use the Rafflecopter giveaway below. Be sure to stop at every post on the tour for additional entries!

During the month of May 2018, the authors of The Backcountry Brides Collection are also hosting a giveaway that includes a print copy of the novel, a Kindle Paperwhite, and lots of Colonial-themed goodies!

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